BOSTON (AP) — The largest teachers union in Massachusetts called Friday on the education commissioner to keep public schools closed Monday, when most students were scheduled to return to the classroom after the holiday break, so staff members can come in and get tested for COVID-19.
The request was made with input from the Massachusetts Teachers Association’s environmental health and safety committee and public health experts, union President Merrie Najimy said in a statement.
“To protect the public health and the safety of our communities, it is urgent to allow districts to use Jan. 3 for administering COVID-19 tests to school staff and analyzing the resulting data,” she said.
An email seeking a response was left with a spokesperson for Education Commssioner Jeffrey Riley.
The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced this week that it had purchased 200,000 COVID-19 rapid tests that would be distributed statewide for faculty and staff testing.
“But without a strategic plan to make the tests available before this weekend, the ability to ensure safe learning environments for our students and staff by Monday morning is greatly reduced,” Najimy said.
While acknowledging that delaying the start of school by one day would pose a hardship for some families, Najimy said there would no hesitation to close schools if there were a blizzard Sunday night.
“With the omicron variant spreading and COVID-19 positivity rates in the state surpassing 16% in the most recent seven-day average — and with Massachusetts now reporting more than 1 million coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic — it is fair to say that the health and safety risks we face from COVID-19 far surpass those presented by a nor’easter,” she said.
Making Monday a COVID-19 test day will help school districts make more informed staffing decisions and ensure that in-person learning continues, she said.
The union represents about 110,000 teachers, faculty, professional staff and education support professionals at public schools, colleges and universities.
